Mental Health Care for Ocala
Ocala anchors Marion County's horse country and sits beside one of the largest retirement communities in the world, which shapes almost everything about local healthcare demand.
Willow & Stone brings doctoral-level, integrative psychiatric care to Ocala by secure telehealth — combining evidence-based medication management with functional, root-cause strategies. You get longer, unhurried appointments and a whole-person approach, without the commute or the waitlist.
Why Choose Willow & Stone
- ✓Doctoral-level, board-certified psychiatric provider (Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, PMHNP-BC)
- ✓Integrative & functional approach — gut-brain axis, nutrition, labs, root causes
- ✓GeneSight pharmacogenomic testing to personalize medication
- ✓Experienced with treatment-resistant depression — root-cause workup, not just the next prescription
- ✓Cash-pay transparency — no insurance delays or prior authorizations
- ✓Telehealth-first convenience for Ocala residents
Ocala in practice
Ocala sits at the center of Marion County's horse country, a region of thoroughbred farms and rural land, and it neighbours one of the largest retirement communities in the world. That combination shapes local healthcare almost entirely: an older population with substantial demand for late-life psychiatric care, alongside agricultural and equine work that is physically demanding and seasonal. Marion County is large and rural beyond the city, so Ocala functions as the service center for a wide surrounding area with very little of its own.
Getting care in Ocala
Marion County's psychiatric capacity is small relative to a population weighted toward the ages that need it most, and the nearest larger markets are Gainesville to the north and the Orlando metro to the southeast — each a substantial drive. Older patients who have given up night driving or highway driving cannot realistically make either. Late-life depression and medication review both require regular, unhurried contact rather than an annual visit, and that cadence is what telehealth makes possible here.
What Ocala patients need from a psychiatric practice
A community weighted toward older residents needs a psychiatric practice that takes late-life presentations seriously rather than filing them under ageing. Depression that shows up as physical complaints, cognitive concerns that may be medication-related, bereavement, and the loss of independence that follows giving up driving are all treatable, and all routinely dismissed. It also needs a practice willing to review a long existing medication list rather than simply adding to it.
Where the nearest psychiatric specialist is an hour or more away, the practical consequence is not slower care but absent care — particularly for the short, frequent follow-ups that medication management depends on. A practice serving this kind of community has to make routine contact cheap in time, or the treatment plan quietly becomes an evaluation and nothing after it.
In a community built around long commutes, the day is fully committed before anyone considers adding an appointment, and healthcare is what gets deferred. Care that costs only the length of the visit — with no travel on either side — is what makes an ongoing treatment plan realistic rather than aspirational.
Transparent Cash-Pay Care
Willow & Stone is a direct-pay practice, so Ocala patients skip insurance delays, prior authorizations, and surprise bills. We provide a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and we're happy to review current rates with you before you book.
Other Florida Communities We Serve
Willow & Stone also provides telehealth psychiatry to Gainesville.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Willow & Stone accept patients from Ocala, FL?
Yes. Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, PMHNP-BC, provides telehealth psychiatric care to patients located in Ocala and throughout Florida.
Do I have to travel to be seen?
No — most care is delivered by secure video, so Ocala patients are seen from home. Our Arlington, TX office is also available for in-person visits.
What services do you offer Ocala patients?
ADHD Treatment, and Depression Treatment. Telepsychiatry, GeneSight pharmacogenomic testing, and integrative psychiatric evaluation are also available to patients throughout Florida.
Do you take insurance?
We are a cash-pay practice and provide superbills for possible out-of-network reimbursement — no prior authorizations or referrals required.
How do I get started in Ocala?
Book a telehealth consultation online or call (469) 726-3768. Your first visit is a comprehensive intake with Dr. Forbes.
If you need help right now
Willow & Stone is an outpatient practice and is not an emergency service. If you or someone you care about is in immediate danger, call 911.
For urgent mental health support at any hour, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Both are free, confidential, and available 24/7 nationwide.
Your healing begins with a conversation.
Start with a cash-pay telehealth consultation — no insurance, no prior authorizations, no waitlists.
Schedule Your ConsultationOr call (469) 726-3768
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.